The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working with the Nigerian Government to develop Rebuilding Ngarannam, a stabilization program in Northeast Nigeria that offers a new village to a community displaced by Boko Haram. The new urban plan and infrastructure were designed by Nigerian Consultant Architect Tosin Oshninowo, who consulted with the community to create a settlement that reflects and speaks to their culture. The first phase, which includes housing and essential services like education and healthcare facilities, is set to be complete in the summer of 2022.
Ngaranam was identified as an ideal place for piloting the township expansion program. The community suffered extensive destruction and displacement following the insurgent group Boko Haram attacks in 2015. The government identified this as a priority location due to the strong desire of the community members to return. The program hopes to support communities that want to return home and to create conditions for prosperity and sustainability. When completed, the project will include approximately 500 housing units, a marketplace, health clinic, community center, primary school and teacher’s quarters, a police outpost and residence, and water facilities, all of which will be solar-powered and fully equipped.
The vision for the ‘Homes for Ngarannam’ was to design a settlement town more closely related to the Kanuri/Islamic culture than the existing stabilization programs that have been executed in the State. The design of the housing unit pays special attention to the community’s preference for the look, feel, and color of the intervention. A special adaptation was the addition of the Zaure, a traditional reception room, fundamental to the Kanuri/Islamic culture of separating public and private areas of the home.
The plan also determines the final street network of the establishment, by specifying the layout and width of every street, the location, the character of all open spaces, and the position of the monuments and public service buildings. One of the key design features is an adaptable shading pavilion that can be organically developed and built by the local community to create shaded areas for social gatherings, a pavilion scheme adapted to from the marketplace’s open market stalls section.
This project represents a prioritization of human-centered design in the rebuilding of communities. It hopes to demonstrate that intentional design in humanitarian projects can aid in restoring shelter, rebuilding communities, and re-establishing a way of life, culture, and traditions. The leading architect, Tosin Oshinowo, is known for championing design that is culturally appropriate and that celebrates the West African context. She is the founder and principal of cmDesign Atelier (cmD+A) established in 2012 in Lagos. Oshinowo’s designs embody a contemporary perspective on African design and afro-minimalism: a responsive reflection of the position of architecture prioritizing sustainability and resilience. She is also the curator of the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial.
